Peaches and Spikes
by koopabrat
Summary: William Toadstool is now king of the Mushroom Kingdom. His wife, Mirabelle, fears for her and little Peach's life. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a young Bowser is subjected to war and bloodshed, but as tensions rise, he devises a plan of escape. When Bowser and Peach's worlds collide, nothing can prepare them for what fate has in store for them both. BowserxPeach.


The bitter crimson sky billowed over the towering stone pillars of the Mushroom Kingdom castle. A solemn young woman, dressed in a cascading lilac-laced gown, leaned over the balcony of one of these towers, tears streaming down her delicate rose-kissed cheeks. She tugged anxiously at one of her long golden locks as she stared out at the evening sky, her glossy eyes desperately searching for the first shining star of the night. Behind her, in the pink-clad bedroom, a little blond-haired girl lied asleep in her grandly decorated bed. A faint candlelight on the dresser barely made out the child's fair features. Her hair was like the sun, bright and vibrant. Her lips curled into a tiny smile and she giggled as she dreamed of cakes and tea parties. An old mushroomian woman sat beside the human child, petting the child's head fondly, her wrinkled face deep with admiration and love for the girl.

Suddenly, a mushroomian man with a regal air stormed into the room, his head adorned extravagantly with a crown that fit awkwardly on his fat mushroom cap. A blood red-tinged cape of velvet and silk trailed behind him. He stopped, glared at the child sleeping in the bed, and he wrinkled up his stubby little nose in disgust. "Hmph! She'll never be an acceptable ruler in my kingdom." Obasan, the old mushroomian woman, startled at her son's words. "William! I will not stand by and listen to you say such things about Peach! Like it or not, she's your daughter, and you will speak of her and her mother with respect!" William spat at his mother's words and growled, "Mirabelle would have no place in this kingdom had it not been for father's meddling in affairs he had no business in meddling. And that creature you call my daughter is an abomination. Things like her have no right to my respect, let alone the right to rule."

Obasan gasped in disbelief and huddled over her granddaughter protectively. "Get out!" she barked. William's caramel-hued mustache twitched in anger at his mother's insolence. As he was about to remind his mother of her place, out of the corner of his beady eyes, he saw his human wife step into the bedroom from the balcony. Her tears had dried, but her starlit eyes were still glittering with moisture. "Please, William… not now." Her eyes then went wide as she spied the crown atop her husband's head. "That… that's your father's…"

William's lips sneered victoriously. "Father has succumbed to his illness." Obasan's shrill wail pierced the ears of the royals as she mourned over the passing of her husband. Miraculously, Peach managed to sleep through her grandmother's cries. "Get ahold of yourself, Mother," said William dismissively. "We all knew he wasn't going to survive the blorgs."

William Toadstool and Mirabelle were betrothed and wed through a marriage arranged by the late kings of the Mushroom and Sarasaland Kingdoms, an act that they thought would secure peace between the two kingdoms. However, William dejected the idea from the beginning. He would quarrel loudly with his father, arguing that marrying a human was out of the question for the future king of the mushroom kingdom. "I am a mushroomian, and I should be marrying a well-bred mushroomian woman, not a disgusting human." His father disagreed, stating that uniting the kingdoms of the humans and the mushroomians was necessary in order to improve their kingdom's reputation and economy. William felt differently. He thought that by letting the humans have a foothold on his throne, he was giving them the authority to rule HIS people. Toadsworth, the caretaker and teacher to the princess, and Obasan loved the old king and respected his ideals, and cared for and loved Peach and Mirabelle as best as they could. However, they felt the fear and despair that tore at Mirabelle's heart. The fact of the matter was that neither she nor William had a choice, and now that William was king, she was afraid for her and her daughter's life. She knew her father-in-law was dying, but she had hoped he would wait a little longer… long enough for a miracle to happen.

Mirabelle's eyes, distant and lifeless, locked onto her husband in cold understanding. "William, what will become of me and Peach now that you are king?" The king mused for a moment, mulling over his ideas. He would have loved nothing more than to throw them both in the dungeon to rot for spoiling his good name with their existence, but he wasn't stupid enough to follow through with his wishes. Too many people adored his wife and daughter, an issue he hoped to have rectified soon enough. William tapped a finger over his lips and mustache as he pondered. "You have been a good girl after all, now haven't you?" Mirabelle bowed her head down, more out of embarrassment than out of devotion. "I have always done whatever you have asked of me, yes." William walked toward his sleeping child, his shoes clicking loudly with every step, his shadow looming over his mother and his daughter like a plague. Obasan continued to weep in silence, even as she kneeled protectively over her granddaughter. "Your obedience to me and my people have not gone unnoticed, Mirabelle. You and Peach are permitted to stay in my castle, under the condition that you allow me a concubine so that I may have a suitable heir." Obasan was about to protest when Mirabelle interrupted her pleas with her nod of approval. The old woman gasped and shook her head sadly. William smiled, pleased with his decision, and he walked to the door. "You will come to appreciate this arrangement, Mirabelle." The queen bowed her head. "Yes, your grace."

After the door clicked shut, a loud sigh escaped from Mirabelle's lips. "I never raised that boy to be so contemptuous," Obasan growled under her breath. "At least he's bought us some time," mused the new queen. "Time?" Obasan looked over at Mirabelle with her tired, heavy eyes. "Time for what?" Mirabelle looked fondly to the now starlit sky, and her eyes fixated on one special star, a star that gleamed like a ruby on the canvas of the sky. "Time… for my wish to come true."

That night, as Mirabelle and Peach slept, a little star blazed through the bedroom and perched itself on top of the dresser. The star beamed a smile as he looked at the two royals, sound asleep in each other's arms in the bed. "Mirabelle, your cries have been heard. Fate has woven a fine thread for your little Peach. On the fourth day after the next spring thaw, at the borders of the outlands north of the mushroom kingdom, you will find a child, a young boy, a boy unlike anyone you've ever seen. He holds the key to your daughter's redemption… as well as her heart. Together, they will establish peace across the kingdoms, and the mushroom kingdom will prosper in a golden age under their rule." The star flew up and hovered over to Mirabelle, then vanished into the large, smooth sapphire that was suspended around the queen's neck. The gem gave off a faint glow before it completely dissipated. "The sapphire will guide your way. Now… rest easy, good queen. Salvation will be yours soon."


End file.
